Update: Man arrested for murder of 3-year-old girl in SA is a tenant in her family home and part of the search team

A 40-year-old man arrested in connection with the murder of three-year-old Courtney Pieters in Elsies River, Cape Town, South Africa, rented a space in her family home.

LIB reported that the little girl was found in a shallow grave yesterday, 10 days after she went missing. Pieters was declared missing on Thursday, May 4th and was last seen playing in a street near her home.

According to local media, he knew them well‚ infact he was tasked with watching Pieters and her six-year-old sibling the day she went missing from their home in Elsies River on the Cape Flats.

When Pieters’s mother‚ Juanita‚ stepped out that day she asked the man‚ who had been at home sleeping after working a night shift‚ to “watch over” the children. The man had been living with them for two years.

They trusted him‚ even after Pieters went missing‚ confiding in him and using him as a source of support in their time of need.

But his involvement even went beyond that. The suspect became quickly involved with the investigation‚ embedding himself with the Elsies River Community Police Forum (CPF) search.

And when 200 members of the public went looking for the little girl on Saturday‚ it was he‚ along with other volunteers‚ who first stumbled across the body.

“The man now arrested for Courtney’s murder‚ was actively involved in the search every step of the way. He even was on the scene when her body was found. It’s been extremely traumatic for all of us‚ knowing he was so close to the investigation‚” said Imraahn Mukaddam‚ CPF chief for Elsies River.

The suspect’s ability to quickly insert himself into the investigation troubled Mukaddam‚ knowing that the potential killer received the same information family members did.

“He was very supportive of the family‚ giving him a position where he was able to manipulate them and the investigation. It’s very difficult because you never want to immediately scrutinise direct family and friends‚” Mukaddam said.

Despite the troubling new information‚ Mukaddam commended local neighbourhood watches and volunteers who had participated in the search.

“Any time a crisis like this occurs‚ especially regarding a child‚ a coordinated approach is sparked immediately. It’s about working together to get that collective response‚ no matter where these incidents happen in the Western Cape‚” Mukaddam said.

The suspect appeared in Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Monday moring.

Source: News24/TimesLive